Rock Bottom
by Raven Lockhart
Summary: Booth's demons catch up with him when a bookie comes to his house asking for money. Will he give up gambling for good or will the addiction get the better of him?
1. Chapter 1

I first wrote this on my blog and figured it would be another B-Squared fanfiction piece. The story centres around episode 19 of season 10 where Bones finds out about Booth's gambling debts. My OC Asanashia will make an appearance in later chapters. Happy reading and as usual, reviews are welcome, and flames can stay the hell away from me.

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It was supposed to be a quick undercover mission. Go in, play a few rounds and apprehend the suspect. I held my urge to go all in at bay for as long as I could, but I knew in my gut that it's inevitable. I'm a gambling addict, and addicts can't resist the temptation of being lured back down into the rabbit hole. I should be ashamed of myself. I have a beautiful family with the woman I love more than life itself and what do I do? Hop right back onto the gambling wagon and destroy the best thing that has ever happened to me.

I managed to hide my downward spiral from my beloved Bones for a few days, but karma has a way of biting you in the butt. A bookie came by the house while I was at work and my daughter Christine answered the door. He asked her if her father is home and she told him that she doesn't talk to strangers and that her daddy is a police officer. The bookie smiled at her response as Bones came to the door to see who it was. Her face went from warm and welcoming to stone cold in a matter of seconds when the bookie told her that he's come to collect my debt. "If your husband doesn't pay up, there will be consequences," he said. "I'm sure that you don't want your daughter to grow up without a father." He warned before turning on his heels and left.

That night, after I came home from work, Bones confronted me. She told me that the bookie visited the house this morning asking for money. "I have given him the money that you owe," she said, her voice shaking with emotion. "I thought that you have gotten past this now that we have a family, but it looks like I was wrong. I'd like you to leave this house immediately." A part of me wanted to yell at her, to tell her that she can't do this, but another part of me knows that it's for the best. If I continue down this road, it would only do more harm than good. Bowing my head in shame, I picked up my duffel bag and went out the door. I guess this is what it feels like to hit rock bottom.

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Sorry to start off on the angsty side but it had to be done. Chapter 2 will be posted shortly.


	2. Chapter 2

_Previously:_

 _A part of me wanted to yell at her, to tell her that she can't do this, but another part of me knows that it's for the best. If I continue down this road, it would only do more harm than good. Bowing my head in shame, I picked up my duffel bag and went out the door. I guess this is what it feels like to hit rock bottom._

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I settled into my new place a few days after my Bones kicked me out. I stayed with a couple of old buddies of mine from the Army before finding an apartment that I could rent on a government salary. The first couple of nights were tough as I am used to pulling my beautiful wife into my arms while I sleep. I could smell the shampoo that she uses and the rose-scented lotion that she would put on before bed, lulling me to sleep.

 _You did this to yourself, Boothy-boy._ My mind piped up. _You wouldn't be in this mess if you didn't give into temptation and jump back on the gambling wagon._ My mind finished. I heaved an inaudible sigh as I agreed with my brain. I should have had more self-control and not let things spiral out of control. I know I have a problem. I should have dealt with it instead of allowing it to take control. Heaving another sigh, I flipped onto my side as I tried to get whatever amount of sleep I have left.

Suddenly, a shadow flitted past the window. My eyes flew open as my Army instincts kicked in. Grabbing the gun on the bedside table, I aimed it at the shadowy figure standing before me. "You can point that at me all you want, G-Man, the bullets will not wound me." The figure said. "Why are you here? What do you want with me?" I said, doing my best to keep the fear out of my voice. The figure then stepped out of the shadows, revealing a beautiful, well-dressed woman in brown high-heeled boots with piercing midnight-blue eyes on a heart-shaped face. Two black cat ears sat on her head that twitched as her eyes bore into mine. What shocked me is the two large Pegasus wings that extended from her shoulder blades. The feathers glowed softly in the early light.

Lowering my gun, I looked at the creature and said, "If you're with some escort service, you can leave. I'm a married man, and I have zero interest in extra-marital affairs." _Even if my wife decides to leave me_. I thought bitterly. The cat-eared woman rolled her eyes and scoffed. "I am no escort," she said in an annoyed tone, revealing two small white fangs behind her full, blood red lips. "I merely came to have a long overdue conversation with you." She continued. "We can also let our fists do the talking, but I'm sure that you're too emotionally drained for that." The vampiress finished with a knowing smirk.

"What do you want to talk about?" I asked, flipping the covers off and reached for my robe. "You," the vampiress replied. "Let's talk about you."

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Hmm...what will the vampiress and Booth discuss? Find out in the upcoming final chapter of "Rock Bottom"!


	3. Chapter 3

_Previously:_

 _"What do you want to talk about?" I asked, flipping the covers off and reached for my robe. "You," the vampiress replied. "Let's talk about you."_

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I blinked at her for a few minutes. Why would someone like her come into my apartment in the early hours of the morning to talk about me? "Me? Why do you want to talk about me?" I asked, voicing the thought in my head. The vampiress sighed and said, "I told you, it's a long overdue conversation. That, and I promised someone that I would make you see sense." Curious, I asked the vampiress who it was that she made the promise to.

Her cat ears drooped a little as she let out a sigh before saying, "I made a promise to your daughter. She asked me to talk to you and tell you to come home." Surprised by her response, I said, "My daughter? You've been to my house?" Nodding, the vampiress replied, "I was flying past one night when I heard someone crying. I landed in the backyard and saw a woman sitting on the couch, dabbing her face with Kleenex."

My heart sank as I listened. I have been a shitty husband and father lately. I vowed to myself that if Bones allows me to move back to the house, I will give up gambling for good for my family's sake. "Then a little girl came up to me," the vampiress continued. "I guessed that she thinks I'm an angel because of my Pegasus wings. She whispered to me that her mother is sad because Daddy did a bad thing. She then told me to find you and tell you that she misses her Daddy and doesn't want to see her Mommy cry anymore." The vampiress finished.

"How were you able to find me?" I asked, trying to hold back my tears. The vampiress looked thoughtful. "Your daughter gave me a description of you. That and she said that you were living here when her mother brought her over to visit you." She said. "Now you listen to me, and you listen well. You have a great life. Not everyone gets to have what you have. We all have done things that we may regret in the past, but we do not let it define us. Get the help you need to fight your demons and know that your loved ones will be there for you every step of the way." I gave the vampiress a nod, promising that I will get my shit together.

Satisfied, the vampiress rose to make her way to the balcony. I followed her to see her off and before she took flight, she turned her head back and said, "I hope that you will do the right thing. I'd hate to see a family get torn apart." I then reached out a hand for the vampiress to shake. "Thank you, vampiress. For everything." I said. "Please, call me Asanashia." The vampiress replied as she spread her majestic wings and took to the morning sky. "Thank you, Asanashia," I whispered, watching her disappear into the distance. Hope filled every fibre of my being as I went back inside. _Daddy's coming home, Princess_. I thought. _Daddy's coming home_.

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The End.


	4. Chapter 4

Hello, B-Squared fans! I was thinking about this story a few days ago and figured I should write a bonus chapter in which Booth is allowed to come home. So here it is, a bonus fourth chapter to "Rock Bottom". As usual, enjoy and do leave me a review and of course, I don't need to tell you that flames are a no-no when it comes to critiquing my work.

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FBI Special Agent Seeley Joseph Booth stood in front of the large mahogany door, his hands shaking with nerves. It had been a few weeks since his wife kicked him out of their house, telling him to not come back until he has got his shit together. Then, on that fateful night, he made a solemn promise to a certain cat-eared, Pegasus-winged vampiress with telekinetic powers and himself that he would and to be a better husband to his wife and a better father to his daughter.

Raising a still shaking hand, the FBI agent lightly knocked on the door, the nerves returning tenfold as he brought it down to his side. He then waited with bated breath for someone to open it, his heart beating fast. When the door finally opened, he felt that time stood still. There, standing in front of him is his beloved Bones. There were bags under her blue eyes, but she still looked beautiful to him. A pang of guilt rose up from within as he knew that he was the cause.

"Hey, Bones," he greeted with a charming half smile. "How are you?" He instantly regretted asking that question but he didn't know what else to say to ease the awkward tension between them. Temperance gave her husband a small smile and said, "I've been well. Our daughter misses you every day and asked when the pretty angel lady would be able to bring you home." Booth smiled in return as he figured out the hidden meaning of her words. He could only imagine the nights where she cried herself to sleep. His ears perked up when his wife mentioned the "pretty angel lady", his mind replaying the scene that made him see sense. Shaking his head slightly to return to the present, he looked his wife in the eye and said softly, "Can I come in?" Nodding, the forensic anthropologist stepped aside to allow him into the house, closing the door behind her once he entered.

"Are you ready to come home?" Temperance asked facing her husband and partner, getting straight to the point. There was a smidge of doubt in her sparkling blue eyes as she gazed into his chocolate brown ones, unsure if history will repeat itself. Taking a deep breath, Booth said, "I know what I did cannot be fixed with a heartfelt apology and a grand romantic gesture. I do, however, promise you that I will get the help I need to fight this so we can be a family again." Blinking back her tears, Temperance gave him a watery smile, hoping against hope that her husband will get off the gambling wagon for good. "I am confident that you will be able to fight this, Booth. You have done it before, you can certainly do it again." She whispered as she walked into her husband's arms, closing her eyes as the heartbreak that she had endured slowly melted away.

"I will," Booth replied gently, holding his wife close to him as she nuzzled into his neck. Fighting back his own tears, he repeated, "I will." Temperance nodded as she pulled away slightly to look up at him, her sapphire eyes twinkling with all the love she has for her husband. "Welcome home, Seeley Joseph Booth." Booth turned on the Charm Smile and said, "It's good to be home, Temperance Brennan-Booth."

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I know that Bones never changed her last name despite being married to Booth but it's my story, I do what I want with the characters lol. The End!


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